Slot-in optical disk drives allow users to conveniently load and unload optical disks. Slot-in optical disk drive can be implemented in various electronic devices, for example, notebook computers and car CD players. Thus, the conventional slot-in disk drive permit easier loading and unloading. Conventional slot-in optical disk drives typically operate on standard 12-cm disks (“12-cm disk”). However, recent developments have led to the use of smaller 8-cm diameter disks (“8-cm disk”).
Referring to FIG. 1, the disk 9a having a 12-cm diameter is loaded into the conventional optical disk drive 91 through an opening 92. However, it is impossible for the conventional optical disk drive 91 to discriminate between 12-cm disks and 8-cm disks. Therefore, the conventional optical disk drive 91 uses, as its positioning basis, the standard 12-cm disk. Hence, it may be difficult to properly position the optical disk when smaller 8-cm optical disk is inserted. Even worse, a read failure may occur when the conventional optical disk drive 91 attempts to read the smaller 8-cm optical disk. Furthermore, conventional optical disk drives 91 employ a positioning mechanism that is very complex and includes a lot of parts.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop an optical disk device that can receive and read optical disks of different sizes (e.g., 8-cm disk and 12-cm disk).